Reimagining Church

REIMAGINING CHURCH

David C. Cook, August 2008 The Constructive Sequel to the Bestselllng Book, Pagan Christianity NOTE: Frank will be speaking at the House2House Conference in August. Other Speakers include Willima P. Young ("The Shack"), Woflgang Simpson, Tony & Felicity Dale, John White, and others. Click here for details. Book Description Each year, one million Christians leave the traditional church. Why? Join Frank in this constructive follow-up to "Pagan Christianity" as he paints a compelling portrait of organic church life, where the body of Christ is an organic, living, breathing organism. A church that is free of convention, formed by spiritual intimacy, and unbound by four walls. Endorsements “In Reimagining Church, Frank Viola is at the top of his game, showing a serene, soaring mastery of the theology of church as organism rather than organization.” Leonard Sweet, author of Soul Tsunami, Soul Salsa, and 11 “Dissent is a gift to the Church. It is the imagination of the prophets that continually call us back to our identity as the peculiar people of God. May Viola’s words challenge us to become the change that we want to see in the Church ... and not to settle for anything less than God’s dream for Her.” Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistable Revolution, activist, and recovering sinner (thesimpleway.org) “True to form, this book contains a thoroughly consistent critique of prevailing forms of church. However, in Reimagining Church, Frank Viola also presents a positive vision of what the church can become if we truly reembraced more organic, and less institutional, forms of church. This is a no holds barred prophetic vision for the church in the twenty-first Century.” Alan Hirsch, author of The Forgotten Ways and The Shaping of Things To Come “Frank not only pulls fresh insights out of well-known concepts, but also keeps challenging us to go back to basics and focus on Christ himself. Thank you, Frank! This practical book will identify what church can look like when it is focused on Jesus.” Tony Dale, author and editor of House 2 House magazine, founder of The Karis Group “Reimagining Church is a valuable addition to the resources being produced on the subject of organic churches. Written from the perspective of a long-time practitioner, Frank conveys these concepts with his usual clarity and insight and covers many of the practical aspects of starting a church. I recommend this book to anyone interested in organic church.” Felicity Dale, author of An Army of Ordinary People and Getting Started: A Practical Guide to Starting Simple Churches “Reimagining Church will be certain to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed at the same time. Frank Viola cuts through the fog by putting his finger on the problems of man-made churchianity, while providing a solidly biblical, practical, and strategic vision for a powerful New Testament expression of the body of Christ.” Rad Zdero, PhD, author of The Global House Church Movement and editor of Nexus: The World House Church Movement Reader “Reimagining Church is a readable (and livable!) description of organic, New Testament-rooted church life for the twenty-first century. Avoiding the weeds of both wooden fundamentalism and unreflective over-contextualization, Frank Viola paints a winsome and attractive portrait of a gospel people, inhabited by the Holy Spirit with God in Christ as their energetic center. Frank helps us learn from the peculiar genius of Jesus and his earliest followers, planting seeds for authentic, deeply rooted life together.” Mike Morrell, Graduate Fellow in Emergent Studies, MA in Strategic Foresight, Regent University; zoecarnate.com “For those who are not threatened by the idea that church must change, Reimagining Church is an absolutely timely and much-needed perspective, delivering a solid biblical vision for the body of Christ. Using the entire scope of New Testament church life, Frank Viola lays out the core values and the essential principles that must form the foundation of life together as the body of Christ. The book delivers an exceptionally hopeful, visionary picture of all that church can and should be. Grace, blogging at http://kingdomgrace.wordpress.com “The body of Christ has been stifled by human traditions for far too long. Reimagining Church charts a fresh course for the church that recovers the simplicity of Christ and listens seriously to what the voice of the Great Shepherd is saying to His people.” Jon Zens, editor, Searching Together and author of A Church Building Every ½ Mile: What Makes American Christianity Tick? “If Pagan Christianity? exposes the reality that much of our current church practice has little basis in the Bible, Reimagining Church takes the next step to establish what truly biblical church life looks like. With the inner life of the Trinity as the starting point, Viola paints an amazing picture of organic church life.” John White, community facilitator, LK10: A Community of Practice for Church Planters “If we are indeed at the cusp of the next major reformation of the church, as many suggest, then Frank Viola is one of the significant voices we all should lend our ears to. Frank’s humble heart and bold keyboard have once again delivered a book to be read by those who desire to take an honest look at the state of the contemporary church. Reimagining Church calls us to first remember the church from the original blueprint of Scripture.” Lance Ford, cofounder and director of Shapevine.com “What if the word church in ordinary conversation called to mind ‘uncontrived,’ ‘joy’ or ‘where God has His way’ instead of pews, parking lots, and preachers? What if church people had no idea what a ‘sinner’s prayer’ or ‘tithing’ meant, but were instead joyfully repentant, generous without hesitation, and innately compelled by love? What if Church were not a place to learn religion but the best tangible proof of God’s existence? Reimagining Church hazards a dream while pulling together the best rational arguments for Church as it could be.” Charles J. Wilhelm, author of Biblical Dyslexia: Overcoming the Barriers to Understanding Scripture Source: http://www.ReimaginingChurch.org P.S. Thanks Jilliefll for the heads-up!